GUJRAT: The Punjab government’s Planning and Development (P&D) department has approved the upgrade of five civil and maternity hospitals in the district to the level of tehsil headquarters hospitals THQs.

The estimated cost of the upgrade is Rs934.246 million.

However, official sources said the funding for these projects is yet to be released.

They said the upgrade of the existing civil hospitals of Jalalpur Jattan, the second major urban town of Gujrat district, to the level of a THQ hospital as well as the upgrade of civil hospital of Kotla Arab Ali Khan was also included in the approval by the Punjab government.

A sum of Rs178.98 million has been allocated for the Kotla civil hospital.

An official of the Gujrat District Health Authority (DHA) said that the Jalalpur Jattan city’s civil hospital would be upgraded from 20 to 40 beds at the cost of Rs 193 million that also included the revamp of the existing emergency block of the civil hospital.

He said Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi had recommended the upgrade of Jalalpur Jattan hospital since the town had also been upgraded as a THQ after it was notified as a new tehsil of Gujrat around four years ago.

The local chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami has also been waging a struggle for the upgrade of civil hospital through holding protest demonstration.

On the other hand, three maternity hospitals, including Gujrat city, Mungowal and Gulyana, have also been among those health facilities that were the part of the upgrade plan for the district.

These maternity hospitals are being raised to the level of THQ hospital as per the approval of the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026